UK lawmaker alleges that she was sacked for being a "Muslim"

London : A British lawmaker has alleged that she has been sacked from her ministerial job in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government over her faith in Muslim religion, which apparently made her colleagues uncomfortable.

Nusrat Ghani, 49, who lost her job a junior transport minister in February 2020, told the Sunday Times he was told by a "whip" - an enforcer of parliamentary discipline - that her "Muslimness" had been raised as an issue in her sacking.

"I was told that at the reshuffle meeting in Downing Street that 'Muslimness' was raised as an 'issue', that my 'Muslim women minister' status was making colleagues uncomfortable," the paper quoted Ghani, Britain's first female Muslim minister, as saying.

"I will not pretend that this hasn't shaken my faith in the party and I have at times seriously considered whether to continue as an MP (member of parliament)."

Meanwhile, Mark Spencer, the government's chief whip has said on Twitter: "These accusations are completely false and I consider them to be defamatory."

In his response, Spencer said Ghani had declined to put the matter to a formal internal investigation when she first raised the issue last March.

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